Estimating the location of a wireless terminal based on calibrated signal-strength measurements

ABSTRACT

A process and machine for estimating the location of a wireless terminal is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is based on the observation that the signal strength of a signal from a transmitter is different at some locations, and, therefore, the location of a wireless terminal can be estimated by comparing the signal strength it currently observes against a map or database that correlates locations to signal strengths. In accordance with a first example, if a particular radio station is known to be received well at a first location and poorly at a second location, and a given wireless terminal at an unknown location is receiving the radio station poorly, it is more likely that the wireless terminal is at the second location than it is at the first location.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to telecommunications in general, and,more particularly, to a technique for estimating the location of awireless terminal.

BACKGROUND

FIG. 1 depicts a map of a geographic region that is serviced by awireless telecommunications system, which system provides wirelesstelecommunications service to wireless terminals (e.g., wirelessterminal 101) within the region. The heart of the telecommunicationssystem is wireless switching center 110, which might also be known as amobile switching center (“MSC”) or a mobile telephone switching office(“MTSO”).

Typically, wireless switching center 111 is connected through aplurality of intermediate network elements (e.g., base stationcontrollers, etc.) to a plurality of base stations (e.g., base stations102-1, 102-2, and 102-3), which are dispersed throughout the geographicarea serviced by the system. As depicted in FIG. 1, base station 102-2serves wireless terminal 101.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, wireless switching center111 is responsible for, among other things, establishing and maintainingcalls between wireless terminals and between a wireless terminal and awireline terminal (which is connected to the system via the local and/orlong-distance telephone networks and which are not shown in FIG. 1).

The salient advantage of wireless telecommunications over wirelinetelecommunications is the mobility that is afforded to the users of thewireless telecommunications system. On the other hand, the salientdisadvantage of wireless telecommunications lies in that fact thatbecause the user is mobile, an interested party might not be able toreadily ascertain the location of the user.

Such interested parties might include both the user of the wirelessterminal and remote parties. There are a variety of reasons why the userof a wireless terminal might be interested in knowing his or herlocation. For example, the user might be interested in telling a remoteparty where he or she is.

There are a variety of reasons why a remote party might be interested inknowing the location of the user. For example, the recipient of a 911emergency call from a wireless terminal might be interested in knowingthe location of the wireless terminal so that emergency servicesvehicles can be dispatched to that location.

There are many techniques in the prior art for estimating the locationof a wireless terminal.

In accordance with one technique, the location of a wireless terminal isestimated to be at the center of the cell in which the wireless terminalis located. This technique is advantageous in that it does not requirethat additional hardware be added to the wireless terminal or to thewireless telecommunications system, and, therefore, the first techniquecan be inexpensively implemented in legacy systems. The first techniqueis only accurate, however, to within a few kilometers, and, therefore,it is generally not acceptable for applications (e.g., emergencyservices dispatch, etc.) that require higher accuracy.

In accordance with a second technique, the location of a wirelessterminal is estimated by triangulating the angle of arrival or the timeof arrival of the signals transmitted by the wireless terminal to belocated at various receivers. This technique is accurate to within a fewhundreds of meters and is advantageous in that it can be used withlegacy wireless terminals. It is disadvantageous, however, in that itgenerally requires that hardware be added to the telecommunicationsystem's base stations. This causes the second technique to be veryexpensive.

In accordance with a third technique, the location of a wirelessterminal is estimated by a radio navigation unit, such as, for example,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, that is incorporated intothe wireless terminal. This technique is accurate to within tens ofmeters and is advantageous in that it does not require that additionalhardware be added to the telecommunication system's infrastructure. Thethird technique is disadvantageous, however, in that it cannot be usedwith legacy wireless terminals that do not comprise a radio navigationunit.

Therefore, the need exists for a technique for estimating the locationof a wireless terminal with higher resolution than the first techniqueand that can be inexpensively implemented in legacy systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention enables the estimation of the location of awireless terminal without the addition of hardware to either thewireless terminal or to the telecommunication system's base stations.Some embodiments of the present invention are, therefore, ideally suitedfor use with legacy systems.

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is based on theobservation that the signal strength of a signal from a transmitter isdifferent at some locations, and, therefore, the location of a wirelessterminal can be estimated by comparing the signal strength it currentlyobserves against a map or database that correlates locations to signalstrengths. In accordance with a first example, if a particular radiostation is known to be received well at a first location and poorly at asecond location, and a given wireless terminal at an unknown location isreceiving the radio station poorly, it is more likely that the wirelessterminal is at the second location than it is at the first location.

When this same principal is applied to multiple transmitters andmultiple signals, the location of a wireless terminal can be estimatedwith greater accuracy. A second example illustrates this point. A firstradio station, Radio Station A, can be received well at Location 1 andLocation 2, but poorly at Location 3 and Location 4, and a second radiostation, Radio Station B, can be received well at Location 1 andLocation 3, but poorly at Location 2 and Location 4. This information issummarized in the table below and forms the basis for a map or databasethat correlates location to expected signal strength.

TABLE 1 First Illustrative Expected Signal-Strength Database RadioStation A Radio Station B Location 1 Good Reception Good ReceptionLocation 2 Good Reception Poor Reception Location 3 Poor Reception GoodReception Location 4 Poor Reception Poor ReceptionIf a given wireless terminal at an unknown location can receive RadioStation A poorly and Radio Station B well, it is more likely that thewireless terminal is at Location 3 than it is at either Location 1, 2,or 4.

The qualitative categorization of signal strengths is only useful whenthere are a small number of candidate locations for the wirelessterminal and when no two locations have the same relative signalstrength. For real-world applications—those in which there are hundredsor thousands of candidate locations—the estimated and measured signalstrengths must be quantified.

In accordance with a third example, if a first radio station, RadioStation A, can be received at −56 dBm at Location 1, −42 dBm at Location2, −63 dBm at Location 3, and −61 dBm at Location 4, and a second radiostation, Radio Station B, can be received at −63 dBm at Location 1, −56dBm at Location 2, −65 dBm at Location 3, and −52 dBm at Location 4.This information is summarized in the table below and forms the basisfor a map or database that correlates location to expected signalstrength.

TABLE 2 Second Illustrative Expected Signal-Strength Database RadioStation A Radio Station B Location 1 −56 dBm −63 dBm Location 2 −42 dBm−56 dBm Location 3 −63 dBm −65 dBm Location 4 −61 dBm −52 dBm

If a given wireless terminal at an unknown location receives RadioStation A at −42 dBm and Radio Station B at −56 dBm, then the wirelessterminal is more likely to be at Location 2 than it is at Location 1, 3,or 4.

But if the design or manufacture of the wireless terminal is such thatit does not measure signal strengths very accurately, the problem ofmatching signal-strength measurements to those at a location can becomevery difficult. A fourth example illustrates this point, if a givenwireless terminal at an unknown location receives Radio Station A at −47dBm and Radio Station B at −61 dBm, then it isn't at all readilyapparent from Table 2 where the wireless terminal is most likely to be.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the error in a wirelessterminal's signal-strength measurements is compensated for based on someknowledge of how the wireless terminal incorrectly measures signalstrength. For example, if one make and model of wireless terminal alwaysmeasures a signal as 5 dBm less powerful than it actually is, theillustrative embodiment adds 5 dBm to the terminal's reportedsignal-strength measurements before it tries to match those measurementsagainst the values in the expected signal-strength database. As a fifthexample, if it is known that the wireless terminal in the fourth exampleabove always measures a signal as 5 dBm less powerful than it actuallyis, then the reported measurements of −47 dBm and −61 dBm are calibratedto −42 dBm and −56 dBm, respectively. By using the calibratedsignal-strength measurements, −42 dBm and −56 dBm, it is much morereadily apparent that the wireless terminal is more likely to be atLocation 2 than it is at Location 1, 3, or 4.

This principal assumes, however, that the wireless terminal distorts thesignal-strength measurements by a constant amount. In the real-world,however, this isn't generally so, and, therefore, the illustrativeembodiment compensates for all kinds of distortions.

Wireless terminals of the same make and model can often report adifferent value for a signal's strength in the same location. This isdue to various factors including the condition of the wirelessterminal's antenna, the state of its battery, and whether the terminalis inside a vehicle.

The illustrative embodiment ameliorates the effects of these biases bypattern matching not the calibrated signal-strength measurementsthemselves to the predicted signal strengths themselves, but by patternmatching the pair-wise differentials of the calibrated signals strengthsto the pair-wise differentials of the expected signal strengths.

TABLE 3 Third Illustrative Expected Signal-Strength Database RadioStation A Radio Station B Difference Location 1 −56 dBm −63 dBm −7 dBmLocation 2 −42 dBm −56 dBm −14 dBm  Location 3 −63 dBm −65 dBm −2 dBmLocation 4 −61 dBm −52 dBm  9 dBm

As a six example, if a given wireless terminal with a broken antenna andat an unknown location receives Radio Station A at −57 dBm and RadioStation B at −71 dBm, then it registers Radio Station A as 14 dBmstronger than Radio Station B. By matching the difference in the signalstrengths between the two signals against their expected difference,this suggests that the wireless terminal is more likely to be atLocation 2 than it is at Location 1, 3, or 4. The illustrativeembodiment also uses the differences in calibrated signal-strengthmeasurements to estimate the location of a wireless terminal.

A disadvantage of this approach is that the common bias is eliminated atthe expense of (1) doubling the variance of the random measurementnoise, and (b) by reducing the number of data points to match by one.Furthermore, the pair-wise subtraction introduces correlation into therelative signal-strength measurement errors (i.e., all of the datapoints to be matched are statistically correlated). It will be clear tothose skilled in the art how to account for this correlation incalculating the likelihood of the measurement report.

The illustrative embodiment comprises: receiving a first reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n), from a wireless terminal; andgenerating a first calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), basedon: (i) the first reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and (ii)a characteristic, C, of the wireless terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a map of a portion of a wireless telecommunicationssystem in the prior art.

FIG. 2 depicts a map of the illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the salient components of locationsystem 212 in accordance with the illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a broad overview of the salient tasks performed by theillustrative embodiment in estimating the location of wireless terminal201 in geographic region 200.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part oftask 401.

FIG. 6 depicts a map of how geographic region 200 is partitioned into221 locations in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 a depicts a graph that illustrates how the signal strength of anelectromagnetic signal decreases, in general, as a function of thedistance from the transmitter and in an environment with no radiofrequency obstacles.

FIG. 7 b depicts a graph that illustrates how that the signal strengthof an electromagnetic signal decreases, in general, as a function of thedistance from the transmitter and in an environment with two radiofrequency obstacles.

FIG. 8 depicts the expected signal strength, E(1,t=0), of Signal 1 ateach location at one illustrative moment in time and under one set ofatmospheric and meteorological conditions.

FIG. 9 depicts the expected signal strength, E(2,t=0), of Signal 2 ateach location at one illustrative moment in time and under one set ofatmospheric and meteorological conditions.

FIG. 10 depicts the expected signal strength, E(3,t=0), of Signal 3 ateach location at one illustrative moment in time and under one set ofatmospheric and meteorological conditions.

FIG. 11 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part oftask 402.

FIG. 12 depicts the distortion function F(A,C) for an ideal wirelessterminal.

FIG. 13 depicts a graph of the relationship of reported signal-strengthmeasurements as a function of actual signal strengths for anillustrative real-world wireless terminal.

FIG. 14 depicts a graph of the calibration function F¹(R,C) for thedistortion function F(A,C) depicted in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part oftask 404.

FIG. 16 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part oftask 405.

FIG. 17 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part oftask 406.

FIG. 18 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed in subtask1704.

FIG. 19 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed in subtask1705.

FIG. 20 depicts a graph of the probability distribution for the locationof wireless terminal 201 for the data depicted in Table 6.

FIG. 21 depicts a graph of the probability distribution for the locationof wireless terminal 201 for the data depicted in Table 7.

FIG. 22 depicts a graph of the probability distribution for the locationof wireless terminal 201 for the data depicted in Table 8.

FIG. 23 depicts a graph of the probability distribution for the locationof wireless terminal 201 for the data depicted in Table 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 depicts a map of the illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention, which comprises: wireless switching center 211, locationsystem 212, base stations 202-1, 202-2, and 202-3, and wireless terminal201, which are interconnected as shown. The illustrative embodimentprovides wireless telecommunications service to all of geographic region200, in well-known fashion, and is also capable of estimating thelocation of wireless terminal 201 within geographic region 200, asdescribed below.

The illustrative embodiment operates in accordance with the GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (formerly known as the Groupe SpecialeMobile), which is ubiquitously known as “GSM,” and the General PacketRadio Service, which is ubiquitously known as “GPRS.” After reading thisdisclosure, however, it will be clear to those skilled in the art how tomake and use alternative embodiments of the present invention thatoperate in accordance with other protocols, such as, for example, theUniversal Mobile Telephone System (“UMTS”), CDMA-2000, IS-136 TDMA,Short Message Service, Circuit Switched Data, etc.

Wireless switching center 211 is a switching center as is well-known tothose skilled in the art and is capable of relaying GPRS packet databack and forth between wireless terminal 201 and location system 212. Itwill be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use wirelessswitching center 211. It will also be clear to those skilled in the artthat wireless switching centers in the prior art are also known by othernames, such as, for example, mobile switching center, mobile telephoneswitching offices, etc.

The illustrative embodiment comprises one wireless switching system, butafter reading this disclosure it will be clear to those skilled in theart how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present inventionthat use two or more systems to obtain signal-strength measurements.Typically, this is useful when a wireless terminal is near the boundaryof one or more systems. When two or more systems are used to obtainsignal-strength measurements, one wireless switching center can use theIS-41 protocol messages HandoffMeasurementRequest andHandoffMeasurementRequest2 to elicit signal-strength measurements fromanother.

Base stations 202-1, 202-2, and 202-3 are well-known to those skilled inthe art and communicate with wireless switching center 211 throughcables and other equipment (e.g., base station controllers, etc.) thatare not shown in FIG. 2. As depicted in FIG. 2, wireless terminal 201 isserviced by base station 202-2. Although the illustrative embodimentcomprises three base stations, it will be clear to those skilled in theart, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternativeembodiments of the present invention that comprise any number of basestations.

Wireless terminal 201 is a GSM-compliant wireless terminal with GPRSpacket data capability. After reading this disclosure, however, it willbe clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternativeembodiments of the present invention that operate in accordance withother protocols, such as, for example, the Universal Mobile TelephoneSystem (“UMTS”), CDMA-2000, IS-136 TDMA, Short Message Service, andCircuit Switched Data, etc.

Wireless terminal 201 is equipped, in well-known fashion, with thehardware and software necessary to measure and report to wirelessswitching center 211 on the signal strength of signals from basestations 202-1, 202-2, and 202-3. Furthermore, wireless terminal 201 isequipped with the software necessary to report to location system 212,via GPRS packets, the characteristic, C, of wireless terminal 201. Theknowledge of the characteristic, C, is used by location system 212 tocalibrate the reported signal-strength measurements transmitted bywireless terminal 201. This is described in detail below and withrespect to FIGS. 4, 11, and 16. In accordance with the illustrativeembodiment, the characteristic, C, of wireless terminal 201 is the makeand model of wireless terminal 201.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present inventionall of the specific portions of the radio frequency spectrum fall withinthe same band that wireless terminal 201 uses to communicate with basestations 202-1, 202-2, and 202-3. In some alternative embodiments of thepresent invention, however, some or all of the signals measured andreported by wireless terminal 201 are outside the band that wirelessterminal 201 uses to communicate with base stations 202-1, 202-2, and202-3. Those signals can be, for example, commercial television or radiosignals, aviation navigation signals, etc. In any case, it will be clearto those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to makeand use wireless terminal 201.

Location system 212 is a data processing system that is capable ofestimating the location of wireless terminal 201 in the manner describedin detail below. Although the illustrative embodiment depicts locationsystem 212 as estimating the location of only one wirelessterminal—wireless terminal 201—it will be clear to those skilled in theart, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternativeembodiments of the present invention that are capable of estimating thelocation of any number of wireless terminals.

Location system 212 is capable of receiving reports from wirelessswitching center 211, as described in detail below, which contain thereported signal-strength measurements from wireless terminal 201 for thebase stations that are on wireless terminal 201's list of neighboringbase stations. The reported signal-strength measurements in a report aremade at substantially the same time, and the signal-strengthmeasurements in different reports are made at substantially differenttimes. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, however, afterreading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments ofthe present invention in which a single report comprises reportedsignal-strength measurements made at substantially different, butdocumented, times.

Furthermore, although location system 212 is depicted in FIG. 2 as beingphysically distinct from wireless switching center 211, it will be clearto those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to makeand use alternative embodiments of the present invention in whichlocation system 212 resides wholly or partially within wirelessswitching center 211.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, location system 212communicates with wireless switching center 211 via a local areanetwork, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after readingthis disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of thepresent invention in which location system 212 communicates withwireless switching center 211 via a different network such as, forexample, the Internet, the public telephone switched network, etc.

Furthermore, although wireless switching center 211, location system212, and base stations 202-1, 202-2, and 202-3 are depicted in FIG. 2 asbeing within geographic region 200 (i.e., the region of candidatelocations for wireless terminal 201), this is not necessarily so, and itwill be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the presentinvention in which some or all of these pieces of equipment are notwithin the region of location estimation.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the salient components of locationsystem 212 in accordance with the illustrative embodiment. Locationsystem 212 comprises: processor 301, memory 302, receiver 303, andtransmitter 304, which are interconnected as shown.

Processor 301 is a general-purpose processor as is well-known in the artthat is capable of executing the operating system and user programs inmemory 302, and of populating, amending, accessing, and generallymanaging the Expected Signal-Strength Database and the Signal-StrengthCorrections Database in memory 302. The user programs perform the tasksdescribed below and with respect to FIGS. 4 through 18. Processor 302 isalso capable of receiving input from receiver 303 and sending output totransmitter 304 in well-known fashion.

Memory 302 is a non-volatile memory that stores:

-   -   i. the operating system and user programs for processor 301,    -   ii. the Expected Signal-Strength Database, and    -   iii. the Signal-Strength Corrections Database,        as described below and with respect to FIGS. 4 through 18.

Receiver 303 receives information from wireless switching center 211 andwireless terminal 201, as disclosed below and with respect to FIG. 4,and forwards this information to processor 302.

Transmitter 304 receives output from processor 301 and transmits it towireless switching center 211 and to wireless terminal 201 via wirelessswitching center 211 and GPRS.

Overview—FIG. 4 depicts a broad overview of the salient tasks performedby the illustrative embodiment in estimating the location of wirelessterminal 201. The overall process of estimating the location of wirelessterminal 201 is described as comprising seven distinct tasks. It will beclear to those skilled in the art, however, after reading thisdisclosure, that the operations associated with some of these tasks canoccur:

-   -   i. concurrently, or    -   ii. in a different order, or    -   iii. together in one task, or    -   iv. or any combination of i, ii, and iii.

The process of estimating the location of wireless terminal 201comprises seven tasks:

-   -   i. populating the Expected Signal-Strength Database,    -   ii. populating the Signal-Strength Corrections Database,    -   iii. receiving the characteristic of wireless terminal 201,    -   iv. receiving the reported signal-strength measurements from        wireless terminal 201,    -   v. generating the calibrated signal-strength measurements based        on (1) the reported signal-strength measurements and (2) the        characteristic of wireless terminal 201,    -   vi. generating a current estimate of the location of wireless        terminal 201 based on (1) the calibrated signal-strength        measurements and (2) previous estimates of the location of        wireless terminal 201, and    -   vii. using the estimated location of wireless terminal 201 in a        location-based service.        The details of each of these tasks are described briefly below        and in detail afterwards with respect to FIGS. 4 though 17.

At task 401, the Expected Signal-Strength Database is populated with theexpected signal strengths of three signals at each location ingeographic region 200. The three signals are Signal 1, Signal 2, andSignal 3.

Signal 1 is the control channel broadcast by base station 202-1 and itsexpected signal strength at location x,y at time t is represented by thefunction E(1,x,y,t). Signal 2 is the overhead control channel broadcastby base station 202-2 and its expected signal strength at location x,yat time t is represented by the function E(2,x,y,t). Signal 3 is theoverhead control channel broadcast by base station 202-2 and itsexpected signal strength at location x,y at time t is represented by thefunction E(3,x,y,t). For a given x,y location and time, these threefunctions together yield a 3-tuple of expected signal strengthsdesignated as {E(1), E(2), E(3)}.

The control channels are used because they are broadcast at a constantpower and because wireless terminal 201 can distinguish them from eachother by their Base Station Identity Code. Task 401 is generally complexand potentially expensive, and it is, therefore, performed only whennecessary. The details of task 401 are described in detail below andwith respect to FIGS. 5 through 10.

At task 402, the Signal-Strength Corrections Database is populated withthe calibration function for every possible make and model of wirelessterminal 201. The calibration function enables location system 212 tocalibrate the reported signal-strength measurements from wirelessterminal 201 based on the make and model of wireless terminal. Thedetails of task 402 are described in detail below and with respect toFIGS. 11 through 14.

At task 403, location system 212 receives a characteristic, C, ofwireless terminal 201. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment,the characteristic, C, of wireless terminal 201 is the make and model ofwireless terminal 201, and the characteristic, C, are received bylocation system 212 via GPRS packet data from wireless terminal 201 inresponse to a query for it from location system 212. It will be clear tothose skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to enablewireless terminal 201 to transmit and location system 212 to receive acharacteristic, C, of wireless terminal 201.

In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, locationsystem 212 receives the characteristic, C, of wireless terminal 201 fromanother source than wireless terminal 201. For example, location system201 could be given the characteristic from the owner/operator ofwireless switching center 211 when wireless terminal 201 is registeredfor service. This is advantageous in that it obviates the need forwireless terminal 201 to transmit the characteristic.

At task 404, location system 212 periodically receives a Signal-StrengthMeasurement Report from wireless terminal 201 at discrete relative timen, wherein n is a non-negative integer. Signal-Strength MeasurementReport n comprises:

-   -   i. a tuple of reported signal-strength measurements {R(1,n),        R(2,n), R(3,n)},    -   ii. the real time, t, at which the signal-strength measurements        were made, and    -   iii. a value of n, which indicates the relative order in which        the signal-strength measurements are made.        R(1,n) is the nth reported signal-strength measurement of Signal        1 as measured by wireless terminal 201 at time t. Analogously,        R(2,n) is the nth reported signal-strength measurement of Signal        2 as measured by wireless terminal 201 at time t, and R(3,n) is        the nth reported signal-strength measurement of Signal 3 as        measured by wireless terminal 201 at time t.

To facilitate this, wireless terminal 201 provides a temporal series (n,n+1, n+2, . . . , etc.) of Signal-Strength Measurement Reports towireless switching center 211, in well-known fashion, as part of the GSMprotocol and the mobile-assisted hand-off process. Wireless switchingcenter 211 then forwards the Reports to location system 212. The detailsof task 404 are described in detail below and with respect to FIG. 16.

In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, wirelessterminal 201 provides the temporal series (n, n+1, n+2, . . . , etc.) ofSignal-Strength Measurement Reports to location system 212 via GPRSpackets.

At task 405, location system 212 uses the reported signal-strengthmeasurements {R(1,n), R(2,n), R(3,n)} from task 404 and the calibrationfunction for the make and model of wireless terminal 201 to generate atuple of calibrated signal-strength measurements {S(1,n), S(2,n),S(3,n)}. The purpose of task 405 is to correct—or compensate for—thesignal-strength measurement errors made by wireless terminal 201. Thedetails of task 405 are described in detail below and with respect toFIG. 17.

At task 406, location system 212 generates a current estimate of thelocation of wireless terminal 201 based on:

-   -   i. the tuple of calibrated signal-strength measurements {S(1,n),        S(2,n), S(3,n)},    -   ii. the expected signal-strength tuples for all locations        {E(1,x,y,t), E(2,x,y,t), E(3,x,y,t)} at the time t when the        measurements underlying {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)} were made, and    -   iii. the cumulative probability distribution for the location of        wireless terminal 201, NB(x,y,n−1), wherein NB(x,y,n−1) is an x        by y array of normalized probabilities for the location of        wireless terminal based on all of the Signal-Strength        Measurement Reports up to and including Report n−1.        The details of task 406 are described in detail below and with        respect to FIGS. 17 and 18.

At task 407, location system 212 transmits the location estimated intask 406 to another entity (not shown) for use in a location-basedservice (e.g., Emergency 911 Service, etc.). It is well known to thoseskilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to use theestimated location of a wireless terminal in a location-based service.

At this point, each of these seven tasks is described in detail.

Population of The Expected Signal-Strength Database—FIG. 5 depicts aflowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part of task 401.

At subtask 501, a rectangular grid of X by Y tessellated squares isoverlaid onto geographic region 200 (see FIG. 6) and the center of eachsquare represents a location.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the grid is 17 by 13and, therefore, comprises 211 squares. Each square has an area ofapproximately 5 arc-seconds in length by 5 arc-seconds in width. Only152 of the 211 locations are within geographic region 200. In general,the size of the squares is chosen based on the following considerations.

First, the highest resolution with which wireless terminal 201 can belocated is a function of the size of the squares. In particular, thewireless terminal can only be located to within one-half of the diagonalof a square or

${\frac{\sqrt{2}}{4}\mspace{14mu}{or}}\mspace{14mu} \approx 0.3535$times the width of the square.

Second, as the size of each square decreases and the resolutionincreases, the number of locations increases exponentially and so doesthe computational burden in subtasks 1702 through 1705. This isdiscussed in detail below.

Third, as the size of each square decreases and the resolutionincreases, the likelihood increases that adjacent squares will have theidentical or very similar signal-strength characteristics. In someembodiments of the present invention, this might cause the number oferrors in estimating the location of wireless terminal 201 to increase.

With these considerations in mind, it will be clear to those skilled inthe art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternativeembodiments of the present invention that operate with any number andsize of squares. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in theart, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use embodiments ofthe present invention that overlay a grid of another tessellated shape(e.g., triangles, rectangles, hexagons, etc.).

At subtask 502, the expected signal-strength functions E(1,x,y,t),E(2,x,y,t), and E(3,x,y,t) are generated, in well-known fashion.

In general, the signal strength of an electromagnetic signal decreasesas a function of the distance from the transmitter, as is depicted inFIG. 7 a, but the topography of the region and the presence ofbuildings, trees, and other radio-frequency obstacles severely altersthis generalization, as is depicted in FIG. 7 b. This is why theexpected signal-strength functions are a function of x and y.

Furthermore, the expected signal strength at each location is dynamicand changes, for example, with time as the atmospheric andmeteorological conditions change. This is why the expectedsignal-strength functions are a function of time.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the expectedsignal-strength functions E(1,x,y,t), E(2,x,y,t), and E(3,x,y,t) aregenerated based on a combination of:

-   -   (i) a plurality of theoretical radio-frequency propagation        models, and    -   (ii) a plurality of empirical signal-strength measurements.        It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this        disclosure, how to perform subtask 502.

For example, one well-known modeling technique for outdoorradio-frequency signal propagation is adapted from the power-law decaymodel. The power-law decay model assumes that the base station's antennais high above the ground and that there is line-of-sight propagation tothe wireless terminal. In this case, the mean signal strength, P,received at the wireless terminal decays in inverse proportion to thesquare of the distance from the transmitter,

$\begin{matrix}{{P \propto \frac{1}{r^{2}}},} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1} \right)\end{matrix}$up to some break-point. Beyond that break-point, the mean power at thewireless terminal decays in inverse proportion to the fourth power ofthe distance from the transmitter:

$\begin{matrix}{P \propto \frac{1}{r^{4}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 2} \right)\end{matrix}$As is well-known to those skilled in the art, the location of thebreak-point is the location at which the ground bounce signal interfereswith the line-of-sight signal.

In accordance with another well-known model, the expected signalstrength at each location is generated by taking empirical measurementsat various locations and by interpolating for the locations in betweenthe sampled locations. This method is advantageous in that it does notrequire many empirical measurements to be made, but it is less accuratethan taking measurements at every location and causes the square of theuncertainty in the modeling error, δ_(E) ², to rise. The implications ofthis are discussed in detail below and with respect to FIG. 18.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to generate the expected signal-strength functions foreach location in the geographic region whether through:

-   -   i. one or more theoretical radio-frequency propagation models,        or    -   ii. one or more empirical signal-strength measurements, or    -   iii. any combination of i and ii.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, FIG. 8 depicts theexpected signal strength, E(1,t=0), of Signal 1 at each location at oneillustrative moment in time and under one set of atmospheric andmeteorological conditions. In general, Signal 1 is, in general, strongernear base station 202-1 and weaker far away from base station 202-1.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, FIG. 9 depicts theexpected signal strength, E(2,t=0), of Signal 2 at each location at oneillustrative moment in time and under one set of atmospheric andmeteorological conditions. Like Signal 1, Signal 2 is, in general,stronger near base station 202-2 and weaker far away from base station202-2.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, FIG. 10 depicts theexpected signal strength, E(3,t=0), of Signal 3 at each location at oneillustrative moment in time and under one set of atmospheric andmeteorological conditions. Like Signals 1 and 2, Signal 3 is, ingeneral, stronger near base station 202-3 and weaker far away from basestation 202-3.

In general, the illustrative embodiment of the present inventionestimates the location of a wireless terminal by pattern matching thecalibrated signal-strength measurements {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)} againstthe expected signal-strength functions E(1,x,y,t), E(2,x,y,t), andE(3,x,y,t) that correspond in time to when the signal-strengthmeasurements underlying {R(1,n), R(2,n), R(3,n)} are based. This processis described in detail below and with respect to task 406. From subtask502, control passes to task 402 in FIG. 4.

Population of The Signal-Strength Corrections Database—FIG. 11 depicts aflowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part of task 402.

At subtask 1101, a distortion function F(A,C) is generated for everypossible make and model, C, of wireless terminal 201. In general, thedistortion function F(A,C) is the relationship of the reportedsignal-strength measurement, R, as a function of each actual signalstrength, A, and the characteristic C. This relationship is representedby equation 3:R=F(A,C)  (Eq. 3)F(A,C) is a function defined within the range of −110 dBm ≦R≦−47 dBmbecause that, in accordance with the GSM protocol, is the allowableextent of reported signal-strength measurements.

In accordance with the GSM protocol, wireless terminal 201 is capable ofreporting the signal strength of a signal as one of 64 levels between−47 dBm and −110 dBm. When wireless terminal 201 measures a signal witha strength of −46 dBm or stronger, wireless terminal 201 simplytransmits a reported signal-strength measurement of −47 dBm for thatsignal. Similarly, wireless terminal 201 is incapable of transmitting areported signal-strength measurement of −110 dBm or weaker, and,therefore, when wireless terminal 201 measures a signal with a strengthof −110 dBm or weaker, wireless terminal 201 simply transmits a reportedsignal-strength measurement of −110 dBm for that signal.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the presentinvention in which the reported signal-strength measurements have adifferent range of reportable measurements or no range restriction atall.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the distortion functionF(A,C) is provided to the owner/operator of location system 212 by thewireless terminal manufacturer. It will be clear to those skilled in theart, after reading this disclosure, how to generate the distortionfunction F(A,C) for a wireless terminal.

An ideal wireless terminal perfectly measures and reports the signalstrengths of the signals it receives and the distortion function F(A,C)for an ideal wireless terminal is depicted in FIG. 12. As can be seenfrom the graph in FIG. 12, the salient characteristic of an idealwireless terminal is that the reported signal-strength measurement, R,is exactly equal to the actual signal strength, A (i.e., there is nodistortion).

In contrast, most real-world wireless terminals do not perfectly measurethe signal strength of the signals they receive. For example, FIG. 13depicts a graph of the relationship of reported signal-strengthmeasurements as a function of actual signal strengths for anillustrative real-world wireless terminal. In this case, the reportedsignal-strength measurement is stronger than it should be between −110dBm and −60 dBm, and the reported signal-strength measurement is weakerthan it should be between −60 dBm and −47 dBm. Only at −60 dBm is thereported signal-strength measurement correct.

The magnitude of each of the errors in the reported signal-strengthmeasurements is inherent in the distortion function F(A,C), and,therefore, knowledge of F(A,C) enables the measurement errors bywireless terminal 201 to be compensated for. In other words, whenlocation system 212 knows exactly how a wireless terminal distorts asignal-strength measurement, it can correct— or calibrate—the reportedsignal-strength measurement with a calibration function to derive theactual signal strength. The calibration function is F¹(R,C), and it isgenerated in subtask 1102.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the distortion functionF(A,C) is represented in tabular form, such as that shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 The Distortion function F(A, C) in Tabular Form R = F(A, C) C =Motorola C = Samsung A Model A008 . . . Model A800 −110 −115 . . . −107−109 −114 . . . −106 . . . . . . . . . . . . −48 −38 . . . −50 −47 −37 .. . −49

At subtask 1102, the calibration function F¹(R,C) is generated for everypossible make and model of wireless terminal 201.

In general, the calibration function F¹(R,C) is the relationship of thecalibrated signal-strength measurements, S, as a function of thereported signal-strength measurements, R. This relationship isrepresented by equation 4:S=F ⁻¹(R,C)  (Eq. 4)F¹(R,C) is a function defined within the domain of −110 dBm≦R≦−47 dBmbecause that, in accordance with the GSM protocol, is the allowableextent of reported signal-strength measurements.

F¹(R,C) is the inverse of the distortion function F(A,C). In otherwords, the salient characteristic of the function F¹(R,C) is that itsatisfies the equation 5:S=F ⁻¹(F(A,C),C)  (Eq. 5)so that the calibrated signal-strength measurement, S, is what thereported signal-strength measurement, R, would have been had thewireless terminal making and reporting the measurement been ideal. Itwill be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to derive F¹(R,C) from F(A,C). FIG. 14 depicts a graphof the calibration function F¹(R,C) for the distortion function F(A,C)depicted in FIG. 13.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the function F¹(R,C) isrepresented in tabular form, such as that shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 The Calibration Function F¹(R, C) in Tabular Form S = F¹(R, C) C= Motorola C = Samsung R Model A008 . . . Model A800 −110 −115 . . .−107 −109 −114 . . . −106 . . . . . . . . . . . . −48 −38 . . . −50 −47−37 . . . −49

At subtask 1103, processor 301 stores the calibration function F¹(R,C)in the Signal-Strength Corrections Database.

The purpose of the characteristic, C, is to identify which calibrationfunction should be used in calibrating the reported signal-strengthmeasurements from wireless terminal 201, and, therefore, thecharacteristic, C, should be as indicative of the actual distortionfunction for wireless terminal 201 as is economically reasonable.

For example, the characteristic, C, can be, but is not limited to:

-   -   i. the unique identity of wireless terminal 201 (e.g., its        electronic serial number (“ESN”), its international mobile        station identifier (“IMSI”), its temporary international mobile        station identifier (“TIMSI”), mobile station identification        (“MSID”), its directory number (“DN”), etc.); or    -   ii. the model of wireless terminal 201 (e.g., Timeport 210 c,        etc.); or    -   iii. the make (i.e., manufacturer) of wireless terminal 201        (e.g., Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, etc.); or    -   iv. the identity of the radio-frequency circuitry of wireless        terminal 201 (e.g., Motorola RF circuit design 465B, etc.); or    -   v. the identity of one or more components of wireless terminal        201 (e.g., the part number of the antenna, the part number of        the signal-strength measuring component, etc.); or    -   vi. the distortion function, F(A,C), for wireless terminal 201;        or    -   vii. the calibration function, F¹(R,C), for wireless terminal        201; or    -   viii. any combination of i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, and vii.

The most accurate characteristic is probably the unique identity ofwireless terminal 201 because that would enable location system 212 touse the calibration function generated for that very wireless terminal.It is unlikely, however, that this is economically feasible because itwould require that every wireless terminal be tested to determine itsown unique distortion function.

On the other hand, using only the make of wireless terminal 201 as thecharacteristic, C, is economically reasonable, but it is unlikely that asingle calibration function for all of a manufacturer's wirelessterminals would provide very accurate calibrated signal-strengthmeasurements.

As a compromise, the illustrative embodiment uses the combination ofmake and model of wireless terminal 201 as the characteristic, C,because it is believed that the amount of variation between wirelessterminals of the same model will be small enough that a singlecalibration function for that model should provide acceptably accuratecalibrated signal-strength measurements without having to test everyindividual terminal.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art, however, after readingthis disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of thepresent invention in which the characteristic, C, is something else.

From subtask 1103, control passes to task 403 in FIG. 5.

Receive Reported Signal-Strength Measurements from Wireless Terminal201—FIG. 15 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed aspart of task 404.

At subtask 1501, wireless switching center 211 periodically determines,in well-known fashion, which signals wireless terminal 201 might ormight not be able to receive. In accordance with the illustrativeembodiment, wireless switching center 211 determines that wirelessterminal 201 might be able to receive Signal 1, Signal 2, and Signal 3.

At subtask 1502, wireless switching center 211 periodically directswireless terminal 201, in well-known fashion, to attempt to receive thesignals that it might be able to receive and to report back asignal-strength value for the signals that wireless terminal 201 is ableto receive and distinguish. In accordance with the illustrativeembodiment, wireless switching center 211 directs wireless terminal 211to monitor Signal 1, Signal 2, and Signal 3 and to report on all ofthese signals.

At subtask 1503, location system 212 receives, via wireless switchingcenter 211, a Signal-Strength Measurement Report from wireless terminal201 on the signals that it was directed to monitor in subtask 1502.Signal-Strength Measurement Report n from wireless terminal 201comprises:

-   -   i. a tuple of reported signal-strength measurements {R(1,n),        R(2,n), R(3,n)},    -   ii. the time, t, at which the signal-strength measurements were        made, and    -   iii. a value of n, which indicates the relative order in which        the signal-strength measurements are made.

In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, however,wireless terminal 201 provides the tuple of reported signal-strengthmeasurements {R(1,n), R(2,n), R(3,n)}, the time t, and the value of n,to location system 212 as GPRS packet data and these reportedsignal-strength measurements are not be bounded by the −47 dBm to −110dBm domain limitation imposed on GSM terminals in the prior art. This isadvantageous because the quality of the estimate of the location ofwireless terminal 201 is generally enhanced by the removal of thelimitation on the dynamic range of the reported signal-strengthmeasurements.

In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, wirelessterminal 201 provides the signal-strength measurements on more than 3signals to location system 212 as GPRS packet data as imposed on GSMterminals in the prior art either. This is advantageous because thequality of the estimate of the location of wireless terminal 201 isgenerally enhanced by increasing the number of reported signal-strengthmeasurements given to location system 212.

In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, wirelessterminal 201 provides—in addition to or instead of {R(1,n), R(2,n),R(3,n)}—the signal-strength measurements for signals that have nothingto do with providing telecommunications service to wireless terminal201. Those signals can be, for example, commercial television or radiosignals, aviation navigation signals, etc. The incorporation ofsignal-strength measurements for these kinds of signals can increase thequality of the estimate of the location of wireless terminal 201.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to make and use embodiments of the present inventionthat perform task 404. From subtask 1603, control passes to task 405 inFIG. 4.

Generate Calibrated Signal-Strength Measurements—FIG. 16 depicts aflowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part of task 405.

At subtask 1601, processor 301 uses the calibration function, F¹(R,C),for the make and model of terminal specified for wireless terminal 201to generate the tuple of calibrated signal-strength measurements{S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)} from the tuple of reported signal-strengthmeasurements {R(1,n), R(2,n), R(3,n)}. It will be clear to those skilledin the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and useembodiments of the present invention that perform task 1601.

From subtask 1602, control passes to task 406 in FIG. 4.

Estimation of the Location of Wireless Terminal 201—FIG. 17 depicts aflowchart of the salient subtasks performed as part of task 406.

Estimation in General—Subtask 1701 begins with 152 candidate locationsthat must be considered as the location for wireless terminal 201.Subtasks 1702 through 1705 can be computationally intense, and thecomputational burden increases markedly with the number of candidatelocations that must be processed. Therefore, processor 301 attempts, atsubtask 1701, to reduce the number of candidate locations that must beprocessed.

To reduce the number of candidate locations that must be processed,processor 301 employs a technique called “search area reduction.” Inaccordance with search area reduction, the probability that wirelessterminal 201 is at some candidate locations is calculated to be veryclose to zero, and, therefore, that candidate location is excluded fromconsideration in subtasks 1702 through 1705, but is considered insubtask 1706. To the extent that search area reduction can exclude alocation from consideration, the computational burden of subtasks 1702through 1705 is reduced.

A candidate location is summarily excluded only when it is highlyimprobable that it is the actual location. A candidate location at x,yis excluded when, and only when, the following is true:∀iε{1, 2, 3}, ∀jε{n−Ω,n−Ω+1,Λ,n−2,n−1,n}|E(i,x,y,t)−S(i,j)|≧Ψ  (Eq. 6)wherein t corresponds in time to when the measurement underlying S(i,j)was taken, Ψ is a positive real number, and Ω is a positive integer. Inessence, the test excludes a candidate location only when the calibratedsignal-strength measurements have been substantially different from theexpected signal strengths at that location for the last Ω measurements.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, Ψ=20 dBm. The value Ψ=20dBm is chosen for the illustrative embodiment because it is unlikelythat a calibrated signal-strength measurement for a location will bemore than 20 dBm different than the expected signal strength for theactual location of wireless terminal 201. It will be clear to thoseskilled in the art, however, how to make and use alternative embodimentsof the present invention that have a different value for Ψ.

High values of Ψ are advantageous in that they make the likelihood oferroneously eliminating from consideration the actual location ofwireless terminal 201 small, but are disadvantageous in that theyundermine most of the potential advantage of search area reduction. Incontrast, low values of Ψ are advantageous in that they eliminate thegreatest number of candidate locations from consideration but aredisadvantageous in that they increase the likelihood that search areareduction will erroneously eliminate from consideration the actuallocation of wireless terminal 201.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, Ω=25. The value Ω=25 ischosen for the illustrative embodiment because it is highly unlikelythat all of the last Ω=25 calibrated signal-strength measurements for alocation are more than Ψ dBm different from the expected signal strengthfor the actual location of wireless terminal 201. It will be clear tothose skilled in the art, however, how to make and use alternativeembodiments of the present invention that have a different value for Ω.

High values of Ω are advantageous in that they make the likelihood oferroneously eliminating from consideration the actual location ofwireless terminal 201 small, but are disadvantageous in that theyundermine most of the potential advantage of search area reduction. Incontrast, low values of Ω are advantageous in that they eliminate thegreatest number of candidate locations from consideration but aredisadvantageous in that they increase the likelihood that search areareduction will erroneously eliminate from consideration the actuallocation of wireless terminal 201.

At subtask 1702, processor 301 computes the signal-strengthdifferentials for all of the calibrated signal-strength measurementswhose reported signal-strength measurements are not “saturated.” Areported signal-strength measurement is “saturated” when the measurementis at one of the bounds of the range at which a measurement can bereported. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, reportedsignal-strength measurements of −47 dBm and −110 dBm are saturatedbecause they are the maximum and minimum reportable values,respectively.

The calibrated signal-strength measurements whose reportedsignal-strength measurements are saturated are used for search areareduction in subtask 1701, but are not used in computing signal-strengthdifferentials because their saturated nature prevents the true magnitudethey represent from being known with enough certainty to be useful incomputing signal-strength differentials.

When the tuple of calibrated signal-strength measurements {S(1,n),S(2,n), S(3,n)} comprises m measurements that are not saturated, anm-tuple of calibrated signal-strength measurements {N(1,n), . . .N(m,n)} is selected from the tuple of calibrated signal-strengthmeasurements {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)}, wherein m is a non-negativeinteger and m≦n.

Then m−1 signal-strength measurement differentials are generated betweendifferent pairs of signal-strength measurements {N(1,n), . . . N(m,n)}.For example:ΔN(k,n)=N(k+1,n)−N(k,n)  (Eq. 7)wherein k=1, 2, 3, . . . m−1, and ΔN(k,n) is the kth signal-strengthmeasurement differential for Report n.

At the end of subtask 1702, processor 301 will have generated m−1signal-strength measurement differentials, {N(1,n), . . . N(m,n)}, forall of the candidate locations not excluded in subtask 1701.

At subtask 1703, processor 301 computes the expected signal-strengthdifferentials:

-   -   i. for all of the locations not excluded from consideration in        subtask 1701,    -   ii. for only those signals that correspond to those used to        compute ΔN(k,n), and    -   iii. that correspond in time to when the measurements underlying        ΔN(k,n) were made.        The idea behind limitations (ii) and (iii) is, of course, to        ensure that “apples are compared with apples” in subtask 1704        below. In particular, m−1 expected signal-strength differentials        are generated where:        ΔE(k,x,y,t)=E(k+1,x,y,t)−E(k,x,y,t)  (Eq. 8)        for k=1, 2, 3, . . . m−1, wherein ΔE(k,x,y,t) is the kth        expected signal-strength differential for location x,y, and        E(k,x,y,t) is the expected signal strength of the same signal as        N(k,n) at location x,y at the time t when the measurements        underlying ΔN(k,n) were made.

At the end of subtask 1703, processor 301 will have generated m−1expected signal-strength differentials, ΔE(1,x,y,t) throughΔE(m−1,x,y,t), for all of the candidate locations not excluded insubtask 1701.

At subtask 1704, processor 301 generates the “current probabilitydistribution” for the location of wireless terminal 201 based on themost recently received reported signal-strength measurements (i.e., thedata derived from {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)} only). In contrast, atsubtask 1705, processor 301 generates the “cumulative probabilitydistribution” for the location of wireless terminal 201 based on all ofthe received reported signal-strength measurements (i.e., the dataderived from {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)}, {S(1,n−1), S(2,n−1), S(3,n−1)},{S(1,n−2), S(2,n−2), S(3,n−2)}, . . . etc.). This enables theillustrative embodiment to combine signal-strength measurements fromdifferent times to generate an estimate of the location of wirelessterminal 201 that is more accurate than the estimate that is derivablefrom signal-strength measurements made at any one time alone.

FIG. 18 depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks performed in subtask1704. At subtask 1704, processor 301 compares the m−1 signal-strengthmeasurement differentials, ΔN(1,n) through ΔN(m−1,n), to the m−1expected signal-strength differentials, ΔE(1,x,y,t) throughΔE(m−1,x,y,t), for each location to generate a probability distributionthat indicates the goodness of fit between the signal-strengthmeasurement differentials, ΔN(1,n) through ΔN(m−1,n), and the expectedsignal-strength differentials, ΔE(1,x,y,t) through ΔE(m−1,x,y,t), ateach location.

To accomplish this, at subtask 1801, the Euclidean norm is generatedbetween the signal-strength measurement differentials, ΔN(1,n) throughΔN(m−1,n), and the expected signal-strength differentials, ΔE(1,x,y,t)through ΔE(m−1,x,y,t), at each location. This is described in Equation9:

$\begin{matrix}{{\forall x},{{y\mspace{11mu}{V\left( {x,y,n} \right)}} = \sqrt{\sum\limits_{2}^{m - 1}\left( {{\Delta\;{E\left( {k,x,y,t} \right)}} - {\Delta\;{N\left( {k,n} \right)}}} \right)^{2}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 9} \right)\end{matrix}$wherein V(x,y,n) is the Euclidean norm at location x,y based on the dataderived from {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)} only.

At subtask 1802, the Euclidean norms generated in Equation 9 are turnedinto un-normalized probabilities of the location of wireless terminal201 by Equation 10.

$\begin{matrix}{{{UP}\left( {x,y,n} \right)} = {\mathbb{e}}^{(\frac{- {V^{2}{({x,y,n})}}}{\delta^{2}})}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 10} \right)\end{matrix}$wherein UP(x,y,n) represents the un-normalized probability that wirelessterminal 201 is at location x,y based on the data derived from {S(1,n),S(2,n), S(3,n)} only, and wherein δ² represents the amount ofuncertainty in both ΔS(k,n) and ΔE(k,x,y,n) and equals:δ²=δ² _(E)+δ_(M) ²  (Eq. 11)wherein δ_(M) ² is the square of the uncertainty in the error in theExpected Signal-Strength Database and δ_(M) ² is the square of theuncertainty in the error in calibrated signal-strength measurements. Itwill be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to generate δ². Candidate locations that were summarilyexcluded from consideration in subtask 1701 are assigned a probabilityof zero (0) in subtask 1802.

At subtask 1803, the probabilities generated in subtask 1802 arenormalized. This is described in Equation 12.

$\begin{matrix}{{{NP}\left( {x,y,n} \right)} = \frac{{UP}\left( {x,y,n} \right)}{{\forall x},{y\mspace{11mu}{\sum{{UP}\left( {x,y,n} \right)}}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 12} \right)\end{matrix}$wherein NP(x,y,n) represents the normalized probability that wirelessterminal 201 is at location x,y based on the data derived from {S(1,n),S(2,n), S(3,n)} only. In some alternative embodiments of the presentinvention, the location of wireless terminal 201 is estimated based onthe geometric mean of NP(x,y,n) for all x and y, or the maximumlikelihood function, but in accordance with the illustrative embodiment,the estimate is based on the cumulative normalized probabilitydistribution generated in subtask 1705.

From subtask 1803, control passes to subtask 1705 in FIG. 17.

At subtask 1705, processor 301 generates the “cumulative probabilitydistribution” for the location of wireless terminal 201 based on all ofthe received reported signal-strength measurements (i.e., the dataderived from {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)}, {S(1,n−1), S(2,n−1), S(3,n−1)},{S(1,n−2), S(2,n−2), S(3,n−2)}, . . . etc.). FIG. 19 depicts a flowchartof the salient subtasks performed in subtask 1705.

At subtask 1901, the cumulative probability distribution for thelocation of wireless terminal 201, NB(x,y,n−1), is “aged” to compensatefor the probable motion of wireless terminal 201 between the time whenthe measurements underlying {S(1,n), S(2,n), S(3,n)} and {S(1,n−1),S(2,n−1), S(3,n−1)} were made. The aging of the cumulative probabilitydistribution enables “apples to be compared with apples” when thecumulative probability distribution is combined with the currentprobability distribution, NP(x,y,n).

The cumulative probability distribution is aged because it is notreasonable to combine the prior probability distribution with themost-recently generated probability distribution because they do nothave the same value in estimating where the wireless terminal is at thetime the most recent measurements were taken. But that does not meanthat the prior probability distribution is worthless. On the contrary,the cumulative probability distribution, as compensated for the probablemotion and likely speed of wireless terminal 201, is very valuable.

There are two parameters that define the rate at which the cumulativeprobability distribution is aged: α and β. α is a positive integer andrepresents the average speed with which wireless terminal 201 isbelieved to move. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, thedimensions of α are length/time and the units are locations perSignal-Strength Measurement Report. It will be clear to those skilled inthe art, however, after reading this specification, how to make and usealternative embodiments of the present invention in which the units aresomething else (e.g., meter/second, miles/hour, etc.)

β is a normalized probability (i.e., 0≦β≦1) that wireless terminal 201does not change locations between successive Signal-Strength MeasurementReports.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, α=1 and β=0.5, but itwill be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading thisdisclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the presentinvention in which α and β have different values. Typically, β will bebetween 0.30 and 0.80. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment,it is equally probable that wireless terminal 201 will move in anydirection (i.e., the probability of moving is isotropic).

One way to visualize the aging of the cumulative probabilitydistribution is to imagine melting a three-dimensional wax model of thecumulative probability distribution in which the probability dimensionis depicted vertically. As heat is applied to the model and the waxbegins to melt, the wax flows under the pull of gravity. At first, themodel is only slightly distorted, but over time the wax flows until itis evenly distributed. In the metaphor of the melting wax model, α isanalogous to the viscosity of the wax—higher values of α correspond tolower viscosity—and β is analogous to the rate at which the modelmelts—higher values of β correspond to slower melting.

An illustration of how one probability distribution ages over time ishelpful in gaining an intuitive understanding of the aging process. Inthis example, FIG. 20 depicts a probability distribution based on Reportn at time n, wherein the location of the wireless terminal is known withcertainty to be at location X=9, Y=7. In this example, α=1 and β=0.5.

After the time associated with one Signal-Strength Measurement Reporthas passed, the Probability Distribution in FIG. 20 ages into thatdepicted in FIG. 21. After the time associated with another Report haspassed, it ages into that depicted in FIG. 22. And finally, after thetime associated with another 1000 Reports has passed, it ages into thatdepicted in FIG. 23. A probability distribution that is initially morecomplex ages in an analogously more complex manner, but it always endsup looking like the distribution in FIG. 32. FIGS. 20 through 23accurately reflect the common sense notion that a probabilitydistribution loses value in estimating the location of wireless terminal201 as time goes on.

The aging of the cumulative probability distribution for the location ofwireless terminal 201 is described in Equation 13 (for α=1).

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix}{{\forall x},{{y\mspace{11mu}{{AB}\left( {x,y,{n - 1}} \right)}} = {{\frac{\left( {{9\beta} - 1} \right)}{8}{{NB}\left( {x,y,{n - 1}} \right)}} +}}} \\{\frac{\left( {1 - \beta} \right)}{8}{\sum\limits_{i = {- 1}}^{+ 1}{\sum\limits_{j = {- 1}}^{+ 1}{{NB}\begin{pmatrix}{{x + i},{y +}} \\{j,{n - 1}}\end{pmatrix}}}}}\end{matrix} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 13} \right)\end{matrix}$Wherein AB(x,y,n−1) is the aged cumulative probability distribution.

At subtask 1902, the un-normalized cumulative probability distributionfor the location of wireless terminal 201, UB(x,y,n), is generated basedon the aged cumulative probability distribution, AB(x,y,n−1), and thecurrent normalized probability distribution, NP(x,y,n). This isdescribed in Equation 14.∀x,y UB(x,y,n)=AB(x,y,n−1)×NP(x,y,n)  (Eq. 14)

At subtask 1903, the un-normalized cumulative probability distributionfor the location of wireless terminal 201, UB(x,y,n), is normalized togenerate the normalized cumulative probability distribution for thelocation of wireless terminal 201, NB(x,y,n). This is described inEquation 14.

$\begin{matrix}{{{NB}\left( {x,y,n} \right)} = {{UB}\frac{\left( {x,y,n} \right)}{{\forall x},{y\mspace{11mu}{\sum{{UB}\left( {x,y,n} \right)}}}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 15} \right)\end{matrix}$From subtask 1902, control passes to subtask 1706 in FIG. 17.

At subtask 1706, processor 302 estimates the location of wirelessterminal 201 based on the normalized cumulative probability distributionfor the location of wireless terminal 201, NB(x,y,n), generated insubtask 1903. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, processor302 estimates the location of wireless terminal 201 based on thegeometric mean of the normalized cumulative probability distributiongenerated in subtask 1705.

After reading this disclosure, however, it will be clear to thoseskilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and usealternative embodiments of the present invention that estimate thelocation of wireless terminal 201 based on another function of thenormalized cumulative probability distribution, such as, for example,the maximum likelihood function.

From subtask 1706, control passes to task 404 in FIG. 4.

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merelyillustrative of the present invention and that many variations of theabove-described embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended that such variations be included within the scope of thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

1. A process comprising: receiving a first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), from a wireless terminal; generating a firstcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), based on: (i) the firstreported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and (ii) an identifyingcharacteristic, C, of the wireless terminal; receiving a second reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(2,n), from the wireless terminal; andgenerating a second calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(2,n),based on: (i) the second reported signal-strength measurement, R(2,n),and (ii) the identifying characteristic, C; wherein the first reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and the second reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(2,n), are based on measurements ofdifferent signals at substantially the same time.
 2. The process ofclaim 1 further comprising estimating the location of the wirelessterminal based on the first calibrated signal-strength measurement,S(1,n), and on the second calibrated signal-strength measurement,S(2,n).
 3. The process of claim 1 further comprising estimating thelocation of the wireless terminal based on the difference between thefirst calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), and the secondcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(2,n).
 4. A process comprising:receiving a first reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), from awireless terminal; generating a first calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n), based on: (i) the first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), and (ii) an identifying characteristic, C, of thewireless terminal; receiving a second reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n+1), from the wireless terminal; and generating asecond calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n+1), based on: (i)the second reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n+1), and (ii) theidentifying characteristic, C; wherein the first reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and the second reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n+1), are based on measurements of thesame signal at different times.
 5. The process of claim 4 furthercomprising estimating the location of the wireless terminal based on thefirst calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), and on the secondcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n+1).
 6. A machinecomprising: a receiver for receiving a first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), from a wireless terminal; and a processor forgenerating a first calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), basedon: (i) the first reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and (ii)an identifying characteristic, C, of the wireless terminal; wherein thereceiver is also for receiving a second reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(2,n), from the wireless terminal; and wherein theprocessor is also for generating a second calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(2,n), based on: (i) the second reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(2,n), and (ii) the identifying characteristic, C; andwherein the first reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and thesecond reported signal-strength measurement, R(2,n), are based onmeasurements of different signals at substantially the same time.
 7. Themachine of claim 6 wherein the processor is also for estimating thelocation of the wireless terminal based on the first calibratedsignal-strength measurement, S(1,n), and on the second calibratedsignal-strength measurement, S(2,n).
 8. The machine of claim 6 whereinthe processor is also for estimating the location of the wirelessterminal based on the difference between the first calibratedsignal-strength measurement, S(1,n), and the second calibratedsignal-strength measurement, S(2,n).
 9. A machine comprising: a receiverfor receiving a first reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), froma wireless terminal; and a processor for generating a first calibratedsignal-strength measurement, S(1,n), based on: (i) the first reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and (ii) an identifyingcharacteristic, C, of the wireless terminal; wherein the receiver isalso for receiving a second reported signal-strength measurement,R(1,n+1), from the wireless terminal; and wherein the processor is alsofor generating a second calibrated signal-strength measurement,S(1,n+1), based on: (i) the second reported signal-strength measurement,R(1,n+1), and (ii) the identifying characteristic, C; and wherein thefirst reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and the secondreported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n+1), are based onmeasurements of the same signal at different times.
 10. The machine ofclaim 9 wherein the processor is also for estimating the location of thewireless terminal based on the first calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n), and on the second calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n+1).
 11. A process comprising: generating a firstcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), based on (i) a firstreported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), as made by a wirelessterminal and (ii) an identifying characteristic, C, of the wirelessterminal; estimating the location of the wireless terminal based on thefirst calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n); generating asecond calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(2,n), based on (i) asecond reported signal-strength measurement, R(2,n), as made by thewireless terminal and (ii) the identifying characteristic, C, of thewireless terminal; wherein the first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), and the second reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(2,n), are based on measurements of different signals atsubstantially the same time.
 12. The process of claim 11 furthercomprising estimating the location of the wireless terminal based on thefirst calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), and on the secondcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(2,n).
 13. The process of claim11 further comprising estimating the location of the wireless terminalbased on the difference between the first calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n), and the second calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(2,n).
 14. A process comprising: generating a firstcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n), based on (i) a firstreported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), as made by a wirelessterminal and (ii) an identifying characteristic, C, of the wirelessterminal; estimating the location of the wireless terminal based on thefirst calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n); generating asecond calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n+1), based on (i) asecond reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n+1), as made by thewireless terminal and (ii) the identifying characteristic, C, of thewireless terminal; wherein the first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), and the second reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n+1), are based on measurements of the same signal atdifferent times.
 15. The process of claim 14 further comprisingestimating the location of the wireless terminal based on the firstcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n+1), and on the secondcalibrated signal-strength measurement, S(2,n+1).
 16. A machinecomprising: a receiver for receiving a first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), as made by a wireless terminal; and a processorfor: (a) generating a first calibrated signal-strength measurement,S(1,n), based on (i) the first reported signal-strength measurement,R(1,n), and (ii) a identifying characteristic, C, of the wirelessterminal; and (b) estimating the location of the wireless terminal basedon the first calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(1,n); wherein theprocessor is also for generating a second calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(2,n), based on (i) a second reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(2,n), as made by the wireless terminal and (ii) theidentifying characteristic, C, of the wireless terminal; and wherein thefirst reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), and the secondreported signal-strength measurement, R(2,n), are based on measurementsof different signals at substantially the same time.
 17. The machine ofclaim 16 wherein the processor is also for estimating the location ofthe wireless terminal based on the first calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n), and on the second calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(2,n).
 18. The machine of claim 16 wherein the processoris also for estimating the location of the wireless terminal based onthe difference between the first calibrated signal-strength measurement,S(1,n), and the second calibrated signal-strength measurement, S(2,n).19. A machine comprising: a receiver for receiving a first reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n), as made by a wireless terminal; anda processor for: (a) generating a first calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n), based on (i) the first reported signal-strengthmeasurement, R(1,n), and (ii) a identifying characteristic, C, of thewireless terminal; and (b) estimating the location of the wirelessterminal based on the first calibrated signal-strength measurement,S(1,n); wherein the processor is also for generating a second calibratedsignal-strength measurement, S(1,n+1), based on (i) a second reportedsignal-strength measurement, R(1,n+1), as made by the wireless terminaland (ii) the identifying characteristic, C, of the wireless terminal;and wherein the first reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n), andthe second reported signal-strength measurement, R(1,n+1), are based onmeasurements of the same signal at different times.
 20. The machine ofclaim 19 wherein the processor is also for estimating the location ofthe wireless terminal based on the first calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(1,n+1), and on the second calibrated signal-strengthmeasurement, S(2,n+1).